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This business card spread only contains two unique business cards. The variety of display options and interactivity are tremendous, and there are even more than shown above. They’re quite the conversation-starter…which comes in handy with establishing new relationships.

Everyone wants to be unique, but most people simply aren’t.

For businesses, the margin for standing out from the crowd can often be extremely thin. Being unique isn’t enough: It’s just as vital that you are able to communicate to your potential client that you are unique as it is to be different.

Success can hinge on something as small as your business card. Google “creative business cards,” and you’ll find a plethora of thorough lists and examples of unique business cards. So how do you stand out from the competition?

I asked myself this question when designing my own business cards for the first time. I did research, and I browsed many of those Google search results I mentioned to get inspiration. I had a look and feel somewhat established…but I had no idea how to stand out.

One of my priorities for a business card was interactivity and displaying my work. I wanted something that folks could play with and enjoy spending their time looking at it. Something with layers that make checking out a business card more of a fun discovery than a rolodex item.

The inspiration for the four-panel, front-and-back format came from Sue Bryce, a world-renowned portrait photographer based in Australia. She has a large “business card” with multiple 5″x7″ panels (so much, much larger), but otherwise similar to the ones on display here.

After starting with that, I wanted to create a unique card for different brands that included basic marketing messages, images, testimonials, contact info, Chadasha info, and branding. Try doing that with a one- or two-sided standard card!

Once I had a design, I shopped around a few local printers to see what these bad boys were going to cost me to produce. In lieu of making brochures or pamphlets, I could spend a bit more on these all-purpose cards. After many quotes and some great reactions from some printers who wanted to make them just because they’d never seen anything like them before, High Resolutions impressed me the most with their competitive pricing and quality of customer service (which was REALLY important to me since these had a lot of unique details).

As you can see, the physical design of these cards makes them very versatile in the way I can use them. The image to the left shows off five different ways I can set them on a table, and that doesn’t even cover all of potential they have. As much time went into the physical design as the graphic design with these bad boys.

What I love most about these cards, aside from the incredible versatility and creativity they contain, is their consistent ability to start a fun conversation with a potential client or partner. No one I’ve given a card like this to has ever seen anything like it, and that is definitely a testament to a successful card.

Creative business cards do more than share contact information and a business name—they tell a story. These share a primary service along with a philanthropic mission. They’re fun to hold and fold. They show off a beautiful gallery of images from our portfolio. They include client testimonials that support important marketing messages. They share our values and our credibility in addition to many ways to get in touch. They show off our branding and logo. They can be handed, folded, stood up, laid flat, and take up about the same space as a standard business card.

I had a blast creating creative business cards that truly stand out. I hope you got some inspiration for designing or redesigning your business card(s) to stand out from the crowd…and if you need some creative help, contact me (865.229.6673). I’d love to create something unique and useful to help you or your business stand out too!